In this excerpt form the book “On Being a Photographer: A Practical Guide” authors David Hurn and Jay Bill discuss the process of selecting a subject. I read this text at the very beginning of the semester and it really opened my eyes to what it means to be a photographer. I now went over my notes again and many of the points made still feel important to me.

It starts off with a powerful statement saying: “You are not a photographer because you are interested in photography” but a photographer is rather a “subject-sector” driven by curiosity which leads to intense examination of a subject (Hurn and Bill, 1997: 43). Photographs are therefore a tool and not the end result and although the authors make it clear that the images one takes needs to relate to ones’s personal experiences  it is equally as important for them to be of interest for others as well. Simply using the justification of “this is how I feel” when showing one’s work is simply not sufficient. This ties in with the next point made by the authors. An unique style which is commonly aspired towards among artists should only be the by-product of the photographer’s visual exploration and not the goal itself.

Furthermore, the subject one selects needs to be visual and “lend itself to images” while also being accessible and practical to work with. Essential is also, according to Hurn and Bill, that the subject is one of which the photographer knows enough and feels continuously enthusiastic and curios about for the duration of production.

Finally, Hurn and Bill agree upon that love and knowledge both play essential roles in the creative process of photography and a deep and long-lasting respect for the subject matter will lead the photographer to a satisfying and successful outcome.

Works Cited:

Hurn, D. and Bill, J. (1997), On Being a Photographer: A Practical Guide, Portland, Or: Lenswork Publishing

Milan born photographer Luca Tombolini uses large format photography and an eye for the simplicity in nature to create unique landscape photographs. His choice of angles and the soft, pastel coloured light which illuminates the fluent shapes of rock and sand, allow for images that  blur the line between photography and painting.

 

Some of his photos are not immediately recognisable for what they are, nature become an abstract; a conglomerate of contrasting and complementing shapes and colours.

 

Here I looked into the difference in texture and choice of colour in photographs of the sea.

The first image resonated with me as the photographer achieves the seemingly endless vastness of the sea blending with the blue of the horizon. The flat surface creates softness and although the colours of the photo are all different shades of blue the texture of the water make the image interesting to me.

Also in this colour palette is the image below however here, the texture of light and water is very different. The sharp rays of the sun perching through the surface, illuminating the two freedivers makes the depth of the water visible, almost tangible. Very different from the first photo this one captures the dimension of the sea vertically, the angle of photographing upwards creates a sense of the unknown of what is below. The first image shows only the surface of the sea, the horizontal dimension and thus the vastness rather than depth.

Furthermore, the second photo also holds an air of mystique to it. The sun rays can almost seem like the light falling through the windows of a tall cathedral.

Lastly, I chose this photo as it shows yet another textuality of the water, the soft waves smooth surface illuminated by an orange sky. The perspective of the photographer is just above the surface almost submerged into the gesturing stream.

 

To round up the Group Workshop I highlighted in my last post, we were asked to take portraits of each other which should reflect the stereotypical “Art Student”.

Below is a collection of portraits I took of my group member.

 

 

 

 

 

In Week 8 during our camera workshop at Grand Parade we were given the brief “Art School“. In groups of 4 we spread out to find interesting features and objects that we could photograph to fulfil the brief. Our group first went with the colour green, we took photos of plants in the stairway and posters that had anything green in them. However, we didn’t really feel comfortable with this response, especially since there weren’t that many green objects around the campus. We then changed our plan and decided to go for lockers instead. Many of the lockers in the hallway had stickers and paint on them which in our opinion really captured the creative and free spirited atmosphere at the Grand Parade campus.

 

 

 

Here I collected a range of black and white images all about the relationship between people and the water.

What fascinated me about this photograph by Sally Mann as well as the one below, is the portrayal of the water as a calm playground, this quiet comfort of a childhood spent outside.

 

While this picture struck me as interesting, as it shows a very different relationship of people and the water. The Beach is littered with plastic rubbish, the woman in the middle sits tiredly on the old coach that seemed to have just been left behind there. Yet there are still people enjoying their time by the water, kids drawing in the sand, others lying down on a towel. It’s a very multilayered capture of life by the sea.

I chose this photograph as I really liked the serenity it depicts. But I also liked the composition, the uneven horizon and the tilted boat. It gives the image a sense of movement despite the stillness of the water.

These last two pictures immediately resonated with me as they capture that serene mood of a summer day by the sea. Children playing, the sun reflecting on the surface, the man in the second photo floating in peace.

During our studio session a few weeks back we were introduced to the different types of light commonly used in a photographic setting.

Direct, reflected and diffused light.

Below are a few shots I took on that day, using rather soft, indirect light.

During the workshop we got to practise the different effects of shutter speed and aperture on depth of field and movement.

 

Here I used a large aperture to create a blurry background.

When changing the shutter speed I tried to capture the sense of movement, thus shooting with a long shutter speed.

 

This photo series struck me as interesting as it documents one woman’s unique choice of home. Tinja lives alone with her sledge dogs in the Arctic regions of Lapland. The photographer captures the beauty and yet remoteness especially in this first photo with the wide angle and during the time of the day where the distinction between snow/land and sky is fairly blurred. Further, the colour palette transcribes the cold of the place yet the softness of the light allows for a feeling of safety rather than harshness of the landscape.

 

 

Source: https://www.lensculture.com/search/projects?fallback=not-found&q=arctic%2Blove&modal=project-208328-arctic-love

With her project “Diptych“, Nikita Pirogov tries to create symbolic unity between two different environments. She uses light, colour palettes and composition in her pictures to establish a connection of two images that are in themselves very different:  “Diptych is something, that is born from two different sides, something that is born in between.”

Pirogov tries to “show the extension and juxtaposition of the inner (psychological) and outer (cultural) landscapes”. Question what it is that makes people and places different from each other and what unifies us all. Diptychs examines the relationship we have to a cultural home and what would happen if we are to move to a new place. Do we adapt?

It is an interesting approach to identity and place. It searches for common visual ground in photographs from unique or opposing contexts.

Source: https://www.lensculture.com/explore/most-viewed?modal=project-15543-diptychs